Shift-key mechanism for type-writing machines.



' E. B. HESS.

SHIFT K EY MECHANISM FOR 'IYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24. IQIB- v Patented May 22,1917.

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EDWARD B. HESS, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 ROYALTYPEWRITER COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 24, 1916., Serial No. 116,604.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Enwann 'B. HEss, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shift-Key Mecha nism for Type-\Vriting- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the mechanism of typewriting machines. 4 for effecting changes in the letter caseprinting, and particularly to mechanism of this class in which a key lever is employed for, shifting the platen or carriage from lower to upper, case position. 'Usually when the shift key is de-v pressed it comes to a full stop suddenly as soon as the carriage is shifted and the touch of the key is therefore hard and rigid, .differing in these respects from the other keys in the key board. I

The object. of this invention is to provide means for giving a soft and easy touch to the shift key, and this I do by providing the shift key mechanism with cushioning devices which are of SllCIl'COIlStI'UCtlOIl and which nism that the shift key may be moved in the usual way and to the usual extent to effect the shifting from lower to upper case, and mav then have an'additional movement un- ,der a yielding strain.

My improvements may be; applied to various forms of typewrit-ing .machlnes equipped with different kinds of mechanism for-shifting the carriage or otherwise changing the letter space printing.

In the accompanying. drawings, 1 have shown one Way of carrying out my inven vlion as applied to a Royal standard machine. Figure-1 is a, diagrammatic side view, showing such portions of the shift mechanism vasare necessary to illustrate my inven- $1011 Fig. 2 -is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the cushioning devices interposed between the shift key and the carriage-lifting Levers F are pivotally connected to the arms mechanism.

The carriage A supports a platen B and is supported at itsfront on a shift rail C which has downwardly extending arms D, connected at their lower ends to parallel links E, pivoted to the machine frame at e,

D neartheir upper ends and the rear ends of these levers are pivotally connected with the m'achlne frame at G indicates a latch for locklng the carnage in lower case position. \Vhen the carriage is lowered the latch G engages a lug d on one of the arms D. It will be understood that there is a pair of links E and a pair of levers F those on one side of the machine only being shown.

The shift lever H is pivotedat h to the machine frame and carries a fingerkey h.

A shift locking lever and key I and locking devices J are associated with the shift lever in the usual way. Said lever H is in the bell-crank form and is connected by a rod K Patented May 22, 191?.

with'the locking latch G in the usual way of one of the levers Fand another rod -M is connected with the bell-crank lever- H. The connection between the rod Land the lever F is preferably made by forming aloop a on the rear end of the rod which engages a pin f on the lever, and this loop at its front end is connected with a spring 9 which is attached at its rear end to the pin f. When the carriage is elevated the'spring g is under tension as indicated in Fig; 1, but when the carriage is lowered the spring causes the rear end of the loop tos'eparate from the pm a short distance so that when the shift lever is again depressed thereis a little lost mo-.-

tion before the rear end of the loop engages the pin f and thus before the raising of the carriage commences. In this way time is given for the latch G to be disengaged from the carriage before the latter commences to rise. Between these two rods the adjusting and cushioning device N is interposed. The rod M is adjustably connected at its front end with a plug m screwed into therear end of' a. tube m and held in its adjusted position by a nut 'm?.. .The rod L enters an internally threaded sleeve Z and is adjustable therein, being'heldin adjusted position by a-nut The sleeve Z enters the' tube m and is formedat' its inner end with a head Z Between the head Z of the sleeve Z and the placed undercompressi'on and tending-to.

' i move the rod L rearward or to'press the tube shift key is 'released the compression of the spring" s relaxed and the partsrreturn to forward.

W ,When a shift keyis depressed it at first v draws the, rods L and M and their connections forward and raises the carriage to its full extent against. a stopv Sand without putting further compression on the spring,

but-the shift key;may then befurther de-' pressed and the spring 0 is put under com- :PI'QSSIOD and thus acts as a cushion to the operation of the shift key. When the "the "provision of means substantially such as described for permitting theshift key to operate in the usual way to effect a change from lower to upper case printing and to then have a further movement which is insome suitable way cushioned to afford an easy touch.

I'claim as my invention: 1. case-shifting mechan sm for typewriting machines; a stop for limiting the" movement of the part to be shifted,.a pivotally mounted shift key lever, and connec-' tions between the lever and the part to be shifted in which are interposed, between the part to be shifted and the lever, yield ing means adjusted to be normally 'ineifeo tive during the initial movement of the leverbut which yield inorder to cushion the movement of the lever after the shifted part has been moved to its full extent againstits 2'. In case-shifting mechanism for typewriting machines, a 'stop for limiting the movement of the part toibe shifted, apivo'tally mounted shift key lever, and connections between the lever and the partto be shifted in which are interposed, between.

the part to be shifted and the pivot of the lever, yielding means adjusted to be normally ineffective during the initial movement of the lever but which-yield in order to cushion the movement of the lever after the shifted parthas been moved to its full extent against its stop.

3. In case-shifting mechanism' for. typewriting machines, a shift key lever, a stop for limiting the movement of the part to be shifted, and connections between the shift key lever and the part to be shifted having a yielding portion interposed between. 'the rear end: of the lever and the part to he shifted which is normally adjusted to permit the shifted part to be moved to its full extent against its stop without materially yieldingand which thereafter yields to permit the shift key lever to be further depressed while beingthus cushioned.

4c. The combination with an adjustable typewriter carriage of a stop for limiting its movement, a pivoted shift key lever, and

connections between the lever and the carriage whereby the latter may be moved firmly against its stop and which are provided with yielding devices interposed between the pivoted portion of the'lever and the carriage which are adjusted to cushion the movement of the lever after the carriage ismovedto its full extent against its stop.

5. The combination with a shift key and a shift rail of a typewriting machine. of a rod connectedewith the shift key. a tube to which'said rod is uljustably connected, a sleeve within said tube. a rod adjustably connected with said sleeve and operatively connected with the shift rail, and a spring within the tube fol holding said sleeve vieldingly therein.

In testimony whereof subscribed my name.

EDWARD B. HESS.

, I have hereunto 

